New Vista High School's Earth Task Force planted a garden behind the school a few years ago, but its location meant few students knew about it.

This week, they installed and planted a second garden front and center, by the school entrance, buying the curvy raised beds from the Kitchen Community, a nonprofit that's connected to Boulder's The Kitchen restaurant and is supplying garden kits to schools and community groups.

"It's a way of integrating the garden into New Vista," said Robert Harding, a junior and Earth Task Force member. "This will be the whole school's garden."

The Kitchen Community announced this week that it's committed to plant 60 more learning gardens in Colorado, 60 in Chicago and another 60 across the country.

The curved planters are made of food-grade plastic, include an irrigation system and can be moved into different configurations to fit a school's needs. Costs range from $395 for a single garden bed to $50,000 for a full-service installation, with an average cost of $15,000.

Fundraising to help schools afford the beds is key, said Dominic Thompson, Colorado director of the Kitchen Community.

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"We want to make the learning gardens fun, attractive and affordable," he said.

New Vista chose a basic model, with six beds and none of the extras -- art poles, bench seating and shade structures. The school used part of its $10,000 award for the 2011 Green Prize in Public Education to cover the $2,400 cost. A parent donated the soil, and mulch is free through the city of Boulder.

For now, the garden coordinator is a volunteer. But the school started a fundraising campaign to raise $5,000 to turn that into a paid position. The goal is to hire someone to write lessons for teachers that incorporate the garden.

Students on the Earth Task Force are still figuring out what to do with the vegetables they grow. They'd like to see them included in their school lunches, though there are some food safety issues that would need to be worked out. Other ideas include donating the produce or starting a community-supported agriculture program.

In the spring, the students also put on a local lunch event, using food from the school garden that's cooked by The Kitchen.

New Vista sophomore Anna Reed said she likes gardening, but her family lives in a condo.

"This is an opportunity for me to be around plants," she said. "It's really cool."

Junior Camille Lauer said she wants to see the garden bring New Vista together as a community and show students the advantages of eating local food.

"Putting in the time and everything is so worth it once you can actually eat what you grow," she said.

Along with New Vista, Boulder's Casey Middle School and Lafayette's Ryan and Pioneer elementary schools also have learning gardens from the Kitchen Community.

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